Terrence Howard

Chris Brown might not want Terrence Howard in his peanut gallery.

Police and court records show that the Hustle & Flow star, who Rihanna backtracked last week on initially supportive remarks he made about Brown's situation, was arrested in 2001 in Pennsylvania on suspicion of assaulting his wife, Lori McCommas.

The duo had been estranged for more than two years when Howard, fuming after a contentious phone conversation, broke down the front door of McCommas' house, states a Whitemarsh Police Department report dated Sept. 17, 2001.

Per the report, Howard told McCommas at the end of their argument, "Don't disrespect me by hanging up on me or I'll come over and hurt you." She called 911 and, while she was talking to the dispatcher, Howard arrived and tried to get in.

He "broke the front door down and ran through the screen door in the kitchen. Howard then grabbed the victim's left arm and punched her twice with a closed fist in the left side of the face," the report states.

When confronted by police, he confessed to hitting her, according to the report, which was first obtained by The Smoking Gun.

Howard, who, according to police confessed at the scene to breaking the door and hitting his wife, was booked on suspicion of simple assault, making terroristic threats, harassment and stalking, and disorderly conduct.

He was freed from custody after posting $20,000 bail and pleaded guilty in 2002 to disorderly conduct.

The actor and McCommas divorced in 2003 but then remarried in 2005. The duo, who have three children together, are currently separated.

A rep for Howard declined to comment when contacted Tuesday by E! News.

Last week, as all eyes turned to what happened between Brown and his girlfriend Rihanna just hours before the Grammys on Feb. 8, Howard told a pack of paparazzi that Brown is "a great guy."

"He'll be all right," Howard said. "And Rihanna knows he loves her. She'll be all right. Just everybody's got to get out of their way."

The Oscar-nominated thesp followed in a regretful T.I.'s footsteps the following day, however, issuing a statement explaining he didn't know exactly what he was talking about when he spoke to the shutterbugs.

"When they asked me about Chris Brown the other day, I was in no way aware of what he had been accused of," Howard said. "Had I known, I would have never had said something so insensitive."

He neglected to mention that he understood what Brown was going through. The 19-year-old R&B star has been booked on suspicion of making criminal threats.

Phil Spector

The boy genius has given way to the convicted murderer.

Phil Spector, the legendary record producer, eccentric and recluse with a reputation for building walls around people as much as his signature music, was found guilty of second-degree murder by Los Angeles jurors today in the 2003 shooting death of cult-movie star Lana Clarkson.

Emotions occasionally spiked at the courthouse: Spector's wife Rachelle sobbed; the jury forewoman broke down at a post-verdict press conference; prosecutors spoke of justice served. Spector, however, was described in reports as seeming unmoved.

The 69-year-old Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, who was taken immediately into custody, faces up to life in prison when sentenced May 29.

This was Spector's second judgment day on the Clarkson case. In 2007, a jury deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting Spector.

At the second trial as at the first, prosecutors said Clarkson fell victim to a man who had a history of waving guns at, and acting violently toward, women, especially when he'd been drinking. Spector's defense argued she shot herself.

There was one new twist at the new trial, but it ended up being a nonfactor, unfortunately for Spector.

At this trial, jurors had the option of convicting Spector of a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. They not only didn't take the option, they also convicted the former hitmaker of using a gun while committing a crime.

The jury forewoman, whose name was not disclosed, told reporters deliberations were "painful." "We all have hearts," she said. "We all have people we love."

For L.A. prosecutors, the guilty verdicts were a welcome change. They previously failed to win convictions against celebrity murder defendants O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake.

Spector's fame dates back to 1958, when, at age 19, he wrote and sang his way to No. 1 on the chart with "To Know Him Is to Love Him."

As a young producer, Spector dominated the pre-Beatles 1960s with hit ("He's a Rebel") after hit ("Da Doo Ron Ron") after hit ("Be My Baby"). The songs were predominantly recorded by girl groups and were exclusively backed by the aural sensation known as the "Wall of Sound." Spector's magic touch continued through the 1960s, with "Unchained Melody," the Beatles Let It Be, John Lennon's "Imagine" and George Harrison "My Sweet Lord," among other standouts.

But over the past 30-40 years, Spector's fame gave way to a kind of infamy—the mad genius who, per lore, pulled gun on Lennon and the Ramones, or who, per Ronnie Spector, of the Spector creation the Ronettes, treated her more as a captive than wife during their troubled marriage.

Spector's alleged gun-waving ways caught up to him at trial, if not on night of Clarkson's death at his Alhambra, Calif., castle-style home. At Spector's first trial, five women testified about being at the other end of a gun drawn by Spector. Their testimony was allowed to be introduced in the new trial.

Spector and Clarkson, the queen of Roger Corman's Barbarian Queen movies, met Feb. 3, 2003, at L.A's House of Blues, where the 40-year-old Clarkson worked as a hostess and where Spector visited shortly after midnight.

About five hours later, after the pair was driven to Spector's home, Spector walked out of his mansion, and, per testimony at the first trial, told his driver: "I think I killed somebody."

Tom Sizemore

Impulse control just isn't on Tom Sizemore's radar these days.

The Saving Private Ryan star has been charged with one count of misdemeanor spousal battery stemming from his Aug. 5 bust when he allegedly roughed up his girlfriend in a violent confrontation.

Sizemore, 47, was due to be arraigned today in Los Angeles Criminal Court, but the hearing was pushed back to Oct. 7.

Following his arrest, the Golden Globe-nominated thesp spent a brief stint in Los Angeles County lockup. He was released after posting $20,000 bail.

Sizemore is still scheduled to take part in the next season of VH1's Sober House, which has put him under the same roof as ex-GF Heidi Fleiss.

Wonder how that's gonna shake out.

Mike Pihl

Mike Pihl, one of the loggers on the History Channel reality show "Ax Men," was arrested in Oregon last night after rolling his Jeep with his three children in the car -- and police believe alcohol was a factor.

Pihl was booked on charges of assault in the third degree and three counts of recklessly endangering another person after driving his Jeep into a ditch.

The vehicle flipped three times -- and we're told none of the children were strapped in. All three kids, age 5 and under, sustained minor injuries.

Though police confirm alcohol was involved, officials tell us Pihl wasn't charged with DUI because the accident occurred on private property -- in this case, his own driveway.

Too Short - Todd Shaw

Cops say rapper Too Short was too far over the legal limit to be driving around Las Vegas this morning.

According to law enforcement, Short -- real name Todd Shaw -- was arrested for DUI, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, speeding and exhibition of power (burning rubber) by Las Vegas Metro Police at around 4:00 AM.

It's the second time Short's been popped for DUI -- in Las Vegas -- in the last three months.

Cops say the 43-year-old is still behind bars.

John Mayer

Guitarist John Mayer will have to hand over $25,000 to charity, after losing a bet over his criminal record.

Mayer bet editors at TMZ.com they couldn't track down a mug shot taken of him, following his arrest in 2001 for driving with a suspended license.

He offered to donate the sum to a charity of site editor Harvey Levin's choice - and will have to dig deep after resourceful journalists tracked down the incriminating snap.

Mayer's money will go to an animal charity.

Carmen Electra Fights with Dennis Rodman

Miami Beach police arrested Tara Patrick (better known as Carmen Electra) in November 1999 on battery charges after a fight in her hotel room with former NBA-star Dennis Rodman, her husband. However, police later dropped the charges against the Baywatch star after both she and Rodman refused to press charges. A judge did, however, order the pair to stay at least 500 feet away from each other.